


Falling Into Your Ocean Eyes

by sonofdvrin



Series: hearth and the heart [1]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Miscommunication, Slow Burn, aka the most annoying plot device lmao, brief Nathan MacKinnon/Tyson Barrie, but does great things for the angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24914269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonofdvrin/pseuds/sonofdvrin
Summary: Cale is a hearth witch, something that has been passed down through the generations in his family. While he’s not ashamed of who he is, it’s still not something that he wants to broadcast to the world either. The summer after The Trade™, Cale knows that he has to do something to help Nate. However, one small thing turns into something he never expected: falling in love.
Relationships: Nathan MacKinnon/Cale Makar, Tyson Barrie/Zach Hyman
Series: hearth and the heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1804261
Comments: 9
Kudos: 102





	Falling Into Your Ocean Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I had the joy of writing this for HogwartsOnline's OWL's event! I've recently fallen in love with the Nate/Cale ship and wanted to contribute the one way I know best: by writing a magic au. And it doesn't hurt that I got to work in my (new) favorite ship that doesn't even have an ao3 tag: Tyson Barrie and Zach Hyman ❤
> 
> Also, the title is taken from "Ocean Eyes" by Billie Eilish! If you want to have some tunes to listen to while reading, I made a playlist for the fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ckVfQizgi6HpTb70GUEjz?si=UsXXN2fSRVi1-_yY9to_ew)!

_“I’m caught between trying to live my life, and trying to run from it.” - Stephen Chbosky_

Cale has known about being a witch his whole life. His family is open about their magic, and how many generations it goes back. Magic is such an ingrained part of his life that he can’t imagine what it’s like to live without it. But he knows that not everyone is lucky as he is, there’s many witches who never had the chance to grow up in accepting communities like Cale has. 

While Cale isn’t ashamed of his magic, he also doesn’t like talking about it with people outside of his family or community. There’s something that feels private about sharing what his magic can do, and doesn’t want people to exploit what he can do. His magic has taken a particular liking to making certain objects feel like home to whoever is using it.

It’s been useful, especially when Cale has been feeling homesick. But to give that feeling to someone else feels personal, and he feels like there needs to be a certain sense of vulnerability to be shared to know if his magic is needed. So, he keeps it private, and never shares his magic with those he doesn’t trust. While his magic wants to be shared with the world, it also understands Cale’s hesitance as well.

When Cale goes to Boston University to join their hockey team, he relies heavily on his magic. With his magic there to comfort him, Cale finds himself enjoying his time there more than he expected. When he turned down the Avalanche to keep playing during his sophomore year, it was partly because he wanted to develop his skills more, but also because he enjoyed his time with the community he had built.

But things changed when he decided to sign a contract in April. He had talked with his parents about it, and decided that he was ready for the next step. Scoring his first goal in the NHL playoffs wasn’t a bad way to start things off either, if Cale’s being honest. And the joy that surrounded him from his new teammates made his magic soar, the feeling of pure bliss completely unmatched.

“I told you that it was going to be easy,” Tyson Barrie comments as the team starts to clear out from the locker room. “First defense-man to score in the playoffs this year, and it’s your first goal. Not too shabby.”

Cale blushes. “I guess you were right.”

Tyson laughs, and pulls him into a short hug before going to talk to Nathan MacKinnon. Cale doesn’t want to presume too much, especially since he’s a new addition to the team, but there’s a small part of him that thinks the two of them might be dating. Not that Cale has anything against that, but seeing how at ease they are together...it makes him wonder a little bit.

“Come on, we have to go celebrate a little bit,” Gabe says. “I promise we won’t keep you out too late.”

“Sounds good,” Cale replies, snapping back to reality. 

“Okay, boys, let’s get going,” Gabe shouts.

Gabe is met with cheers from the rest of the team, and everyone starts heading off towards one of the usual bars. Cale ends up catching a ride with Nathan and Tyson, and it’s hard for him to not notice how they act around each other in such a close space. His magic perks up and how softly they interact with each other, making Cale long for something similar.

However, all thoughts of longing disappear as soon as they get to the bar. Everyone is still ramped up from the game, and Cale being the man of the night, he gets swept up in their enthusiasm. Thankfully, Tyson brought Cale back to Matt’s house relatively unharmed, and both were awfully proud at not waking anybody back.

When the team got eliminated from playoffs, as sad as Cale was in the moment, he’s still glad that he’s found his place on the team. The Av’s seem like a good team, and his magic enjoys his teammates just as much as he does. The trade deadline doesn’t even cross his mind, mostly seeing as he doesn’t really have anything to worry about.

But then he hears about Tyson Barrie being traded to Toronto. Cale wouldn’t consider them good friends or anything, but Tyson was one of the first people to welcome him to Denver. And Tyson had always seemed like a core part of the team, leaving Cale feel like he’s been thrown off balance. And then he thinks about Nate.

Cale had never gotten the courage to ask Nate or Tyson if they were dating, but even if they weren’t, they’re still close. He can’t imagine what the rest of the team is going through right now with the loss of someone so important. And then Cale thinks about what Tyson must be going through right now and feels overwhelmed. 

His magic wants to do something to ease the pain, but Cale still hasn’t brought up being a witch with the team. It had never seemed like the right time to say anything since everyone was so caught up in playing in the playoffs, then dealing with the heartbreak of being eliminated. Now it just feels weird to bring it up in the midst of losing a core part of the team.

“Honey, is everything okay?” his mom, Laura, asks, coming into his room. “Your magic is acting really off right now.”

“Um well, Tyson Barrie just got traded,” Cale answers awkwardly. “I haven’t checked the group chat yet, but I can’t imagine the team is taking it too well.”

“Oh, I can imagine that would be hard. But there’s something else, isn’t there?”

“I think Tyson might have been dating one of our teammates,” Cale whispers, feeling like he’s sharing something that he shouldn’t be. “I never asked because it felt kind of weird because I figured if they were, they would have told me, you know? But just seeing them together, I guess it was hard to not assume.”

Laura sits next to him on his bed and brings him into a hug. Their magic intertwines a little bit, Cale’s magic comforted by having family close by. He’s not really sure why he’s taking the trade like he is, but it’s hard to not be empathetic in a situation like this. Even if he’s making it all up in his head, the sadness is still there.

“You have to remember that hearth witches are more prone to picking up on feelings like this, honey,” Laura says softly. “Our magic is to help the home and everything associated with that. Relationships of any kind often fall under that, so of course your magic is taking all of this harder than expected.”

“I hate it,” Cale whispers, tears streaming down his face. “I hardly even know them, mom. I didn’t think that my magic would get attached like this.”

“They’re your new family, and your magic knows that. I can’t imagine that it’s going to get much easier.”

Cale lets out a wet laugh. “I guess not. And I think I just want to make it all better because I can’t imagine how much the team is hurting right now.”

“You can’t fix everything, sweetheart. If you feel like you have to help, maybe focus on Nate. He seems like a good boy and if he was really dating Tyson, he’ll need your magic more than anyone else on the team.”

“I guess you’re right. But...I don’t know if I’m ready to tell anyone that I’m a witch yet. Not that I don’t trust them, it just feels like a weird time to bring it up.”

“I can’t say that this is a smart thing to do, Cale. It might only make things worse,” Laura points out. “And I can’t imagine them wanting to abuse your magic either, not from what you’ve told me.”

“I’ll tell them in my own time, I promise,” Cale whispers. “I just want to be sure.”

Laura frowns a little bit. “Okay, sweetie, if that’s what you want.”

“It is, mom.”

She decides to not push him, and Cale is grateful for that. He knows that she’s right, hiding the fact that he’s a witch isn’t the best decision, but it feels like a weird thing to be bringing up. And it doesn’t seem like anyone else on the team is a witch either, so Cale wants to wait things out a bit longer. Considering how attached his magic tends to get, it’s best to be safe.

Cale doesn’t check the group chat until later in the day, wanting to emotionally prepare himself for the sheer chaos of it all. He’s in bed, scrolling through all of the messages and it’s hard to not notice Nate’s absence in all of it. There’s only a few messages from him that mostly just consist of the sobbing emojis and, notably, a broken heart emoji. It’s hard for Cale to not read into that.

In that moment, Cale decides that when he gets back to Denver for training camps, he’ll give Nate a mug infused with some of his magic. It’s the quickest and easiest way for Cale to help without totally blowing his cover. A mug is inconspicuous enough, and Nate drinks enough coffee in the morning that the little bit of magic should ease his heart a little bit. If it turns out that Nate needs a little bit more than that, then Cale will figure that out later.

The rest of the summer passes relatively quickly and Cale does his best to keep up with the team. Everyone seems to have dropped talking about the trades, but Cale figures that there’s a conversation happening that he’s just not a part of. Which makes sense, but he wishes he could so that Cale could figure out how he could better help his teammates. 

The first day of training camp is slowly approaching, and Gabe ends up hosting a barbeque at his house. Cale heads over with Matt since he’s staying with him again this year. There’s a bit of nervous energy running through his body, unsure of what the vibe is going to be. Surely everyone is going to be putting on a happy face, but his magic will be able to read through it in a heartbeat.

“Cale! Glad to see you made it,” Gabe greets when he opens the door.

“What, no greeting for me?” Matt snorts. “Or am I old news now?”

Gabe laughs a little as he rolls his eyes and lets the two of them in. The barbecue is in full swing now, and Cale supposes that this is for the better. At least now he won’t have to try and bumble through awkward conversations with everyone about what happened over the summer. That’s probably still going to happen, but at least now he can jump from conversation to conversation much easier now.

At first, Cale awkwardly hangs out with Matt, not sure where he would be welcome to start talking. He’s sure that he could start talking to anyone here and be fine, but there’s still a small part of him that feels like he’s intruding. If Tyson was here, then maybe he would go talk to him, but that isn’t an option now.

“Cale, come on, stop hanging out with all of the old guys,” Josty jokes, coming up next to him.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Cale replies, blushing a little bit and looking at Matt.

Matt laughs a little bit. “Go hang out with people your age, I’ll survive.”

Cale nods, and follows Josty as he pulls Cale off towards the other side of Gabe’s yard. As he follows Josty, he notices that Josty feels a bit off as well. It’s then that he remembers that Alexander also got traded with Tyson, and he knows how close Alexander was with Josty and JT. Cale makes a mental note to try and do something for the two of them, knowing that the loss probably hit them hard.

“Well, now that you’re hanging out with the fun people, what did you get up to this summer?” Josty inquires.

“Oh, um, not much,” Cale answers awkwardly, not really sure what to say.

“Really? Not a single thing?” Josty replies, with a raised eyebrow.

Cale blushes a little. “Nothing exciting, I guess. Mostly just trained and did stuff with my family.”

“No girlfriend to keep up with?” JT asks, looking curious.

“No girlfriend. Or boyfriend,” Cale says softly, figuring that there’s no point in hiding his sexuality. “Too busy to keep up with that right now, I guess.”

“Understandable, but also kind of sad,” Josty replies, scrunching up his nose.

The conversation moves past it fairly quickly, and Cale ends up spending the rest of the afternoon and evening with the group. He gets to know JT and Josty a lot more, and is able to pick up on the sadness that seems to be over the trade. Cale’s magic also ends up attaching itself to Ryan Graves and Andre Burakovsky of all people, but he’s glad that it has people that it likes here.

Cale is a bit sad that he didn’t get to talk much to Nate today, but he didn’t want to interrupt what appeared to be serious conversations with Gabe and EJ. He’s sure that there’ll be another time that he can catch Nate and get a better feel of how much magic he needs to infuse into any objects he wants to give.

“So, you think you’re going to like it here?” Matt asks as he drives them home. “I know they can be a lot, and it’s a weird time with all of the trades.”

Cale shrugs. “I guess it’s kind of hard to tell. Everyone seemed kind of...off.”

Matt looks at Cale, confused. “I didn’t take you for the type of pick up on that type of thing easily. Mostly just because you’re new, not because of anything else.”

Cale freezes a little, and he’s not sure if he should just shrug it off or not. Matt seems like a good guy, though, and he probably wouldn’t say anything if Cale told him not to. Besides, they’re going to be living together for a little while, so it might be smart to say at least something about his magic.

“Well, uh, I guess my magic helps a little bit,” Cale murmurs. 

“So you’re a witch, huh?” Matt replies, with a small smile. “That’s cool, dude, but might not want to let the rest of the team know. They’ll never stop bombarding you with questions about how magic works otherwise.”

Cale snorts. “I’ve been dealing with that for a while now, that definitely wouldn’t be the worst reaction.”

“Still might be a little bit annoying though,” Matt points out.

Cale laughs a little, and his magic feels at ease. Even though Matt is just one person, it’s still good to have someone who knows that Cale is a witch. It’s a big secret to hold onto, and having it out in the open without a bad reaction is nice. But he still probably won’t say anything to the team, wanting to keep everything on the downlow. 

“I just want to keep it secret for a little while,” Cale says softly. “It’s...kind of private.”

“This is something to tell on your own terms. I won’t say anything, I promise,” Matt replies. “Do you mind asking what your magic does?”

“No, I don’t mind. I’m a hearth witch, so I focus on the home and family mostly. But my magic is best at making certain objects feel like home,” Cale explains. “Like when I was a kid and would go to summer camps, my magic would infuse itself in my pillow to make sure I wouldn’t get homesick.”

“Oh, that’s cute,” Matt replies with a small smile. “I’m sure that made leaving for hockey easier.”

Cale shrugs a little bit. “I mean, it helped with the worst of it, but I still missed them. Magic can’t change the strong emotions, but it can help with the smaller things.”

“Still, that’s an amazing thing you can do, Cale.”

“Definitely, it just feels like such a normal thing because I’ve been surrounded by magic my whole life, you know?”

“Is it going to be hard not having a community here?” Matt asks, concern in his voice.

“I got used to not having other witches around when I went to Boston. I was able to build my own little family, even if they weren’t witches. It’s weird at first, but it’s not too bad,” Cale answers. “Besides, I’m sure I’ll be able to scout out the witch owned places easily enough.”

Matt looks like he wants to ask how, but doesn’t comment on it. Cale figures that him not asking is for the best, because the only answer would just be a vague ‘I can just feel it’. The rest of the car ride home is relatively quiet, but the silence isn’t awkward. Cale’s magic is feeling happy now that someone knows about it. 

Once they get home, Cale goes down to his room and flops on the bed. He’ll do his best to try and talk to Nate at training camp, or one of the other barbecues that’s being planned before the season starts. If anything, Cale can brush it off as just wanting to get to know a fellow teammate, especially since Nate has an A. 

The next few days pass in a bit of a blur as things start to pick up, and Cale gets overwhelmed with all of the welcoming energy from the team. There’s also a lot of trying to figure out who’s going to be playing on what lines now that so many things have shifted. Every day, Cale feels like he’s even more tired than the last one.

Cale finally gets to talk to Nate after they’ve finished a morning practice. With how overwhelming everything has been, it seems like he and Nate have barely had a conversation that didn’t go past what was happening in the moment. Even though things haven’t slowed down, Cale feels like he actually has a handle on how everything works now.

“So, how are you liking the NHL now?” Nate inquires, a small smile on his face. 

“Not quite the same as college hockey,” Cale jokes. “But I’m really liking it here. Everyone seems really great.”

“Yeah, they do,” Nate replies, a bit of wistfulness in his voice.

Cale can only assume that the sadness is thinking about Tyson, and he isn’t sure of how to reply. But Nate smiles a little bit, which distracts him more than he wants to admit. Thinking that his teammate has a nice smile isn’t quite an appropriate thought at the moment. He focuses himself again, reminding himself why he wanted to talk to Nate in the first place.

“I know you might not want to talk about it anymore, but I guess I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” Cale comments, unsure of how else to bring it up. “I mean, I guess you have EJ and Gabe and they get everything more than I would, but I just...thought I would ask.”

Cale winces a little at his rambling, especially when he sees Nate close up a little bit. He groans internally when he notices this, and thinks that he messed things up already. As much as Cale genuinely cares, especially where his magic is concerned, but it’s not like Nate would know that. And Cale is nervous that now he won’t get the chance to help.

“I’m dealing with it as best I can,” Nate whispers. “Gabe and EJ have been helping as best they can, but that usually just means distracting me instead of actually talking about it.”

“That’s...actually not that great,” Cale points out. “If you ever just need to let it all out, you can always tell me. I don’t know if I can actually do anything, but I can still listen.”

Nate smiles a little bit. “I might take you up on that offer one of these days. Not today though, I think I just need to not think about it right now.”

“Of course, take your time.”

Nate nods, and then skates off to the locker room. Cale follows, but at a slower pace. He’s not really sure what to make of that conversation, but he decides it probably went as well as it was going to go. As long as Nate actually reaches out to him, it won’t be a total loss. 

The next few days pass, and Cale doesn’t talk to Nate outside of training camp. But after practice one day, Nate comes up to him, looking unsure. Cale is confused, not sure what he’s done to make Nate feel that way, but waits for him to say something.

“So, um, I was wondering if your offer was still open?” Nate asks awkwardly.

“Yeah, of course it is,” Cale answers empathetically. “I carpooled with Matt, though, so I’ll need a ride.”

“Oh, right. That’s fine,” Nate says. “Are you going to need me to drive you back to Matt’s?”

“Uber exists for a reason, I’ll be fine.”

Nate flushes a little. “Right, yes, of course. Sorry for being so awkward, it’s just...I don’t really know how to talk about it, you know?”

Cale shrugs. “There’s really no good way to talk about it. But we should get going if you don’t want the rest of the boys snooping.”

Nate nods, and they head off to the locker room together. Cale’s magic wants to reach out and comfort Nate, but he pulls it back. He knows that magic trying to comfort someone can be a weird feeling, especially if they aren’t expecting it. His magic is obviously disappointed, but thankfully listens to Cale. Sighing in relief, he reminds his magic of the plan moving forward, which it then lets out an explosion of happiness at the thought.

Once Cale and Nate have changed, they make their way silently to Nate’s car. Cale isn’t sure if he should say something, unsure if he can think of anything that wouldn’t make the situation worse. In the end, he decides that Nate should start the conversation so that Cale doesn’t accidentally put Nate in a weird spot.

Things remain quiet until they sit on Nate’s couch in his new apartment. The silence stretches out until Cale is starting to squirm from the heaviness of it. There’s so much to say, but yet hardly anything either in the grand scheme of it all.

“I never thought I would be playing on a team without Tyson,” Nate whispers, voice thick with unshed tears. “I always thought that he would be around, you know? I know there’s always Gabe and EJ and the rest of the team, but…”

“They aren’t Tyson,” Cale finishes. “The two of you were close?”

Nate laughs bitterly. “That’s one way of putting it, I guess. We were never officially dating, but we might as well have been. There were date nights and everything that comes with being a couple, we just never said it out loud.”

“Why not?” Cale inquires, confused. 

“We were scared. I mean, we still are because I guess we haven’t really ended things. Admitting that we were dating felt like a big step that we were never ready for,” Nate explains. “And now...I don’t really know what’s happening I guess. I still love him, but the distance is going to be hard. We’ll hardly get the chance to see each other.”

“But it’ll be worth it, right? If you love each other, then you can try and make it work.”

“I want things to be just like they always were, but it’ll be years before either of us retire. I’m not sure if I’m ready to commit to that.”

“Even for Tyson?”

“Yeah, even for him,” Nate whispers, trying to choke back the tears. “I love him, but I don’t want to admit that I can’t do this. It feels like I’m giving up.”

Cale can feel his magic trying to reach out again, so he brings Nate into a hug. Nate holds on tight, and cries into his shoulder. He’s not sure how long they sit there, with Nate crying, but it feels like forever and no time at all. 

Cale decides in the moment that a mug infused with his magic isn’t going to be enough, there’s going to have to be more that he’s got to do. Once he manages to find the witch community in Denver, he’s going to buy small things for Nate’s apartment under the guise of trying to help decorate the place. As long as he moves slow with the amount of magical items, Nate should never even notice that he’s being surrounded by magic. 

Finally, Nate pulls back and wipes away the tears. Cale tries to give him a comforting smile, and let’s them sit in silence for a few more moments. There’s so much that he wants to say, but he also doesn’t want to overwhelm Nate.

“You aren’t going to be giving up on him, you know,” Cale points out. “If you end things now because you know that it won’t work out, you’ll be saving yourself trouble later. And you’ll both be thankful that neither of you let it get worse.”

“How the fuck are you only twenty?” Nate jokes, voice still thick with tears.

Cale laughs and shrugs. “I just learned a lot from my parents, I guess. But seriously, Nate, you won’t be giving up, I promise. I know you want this to work, and it’s worth trying, but if you think that it’s just not working at any point, you need to tell Tyson right away.”

“I just don’t want to lose him,” Nate whispers. “He’s my best friend, Cale, and I’m scared of losing him because this didn’t work out.”

“If you’re best friends, then he’ll understand what you’re going through. I’m sure that he’s going through the same thing right now.”

“You’re right,” Nate groans, flopping back on the couch. “I just hate this so much. And I know the guys hate having lost him just as much as I have, but I feel like I can’t say anything to them.”

“We all deal with loss differently.”

Nate gives him a weird look. “Seriously, how are you only twenty? I feel like you shouldn’t have such good advice. Nobody who can’t legally drink in the US shouldn’t be so smart.”

“I told you, I’ve just talked with my parents a lot about my emotions. They’ve always had really good advice.”

“If you say so,” Nate replies, obviously not convinced.

Cale rolls his eyes. “I do say so.”

This brings a small smile to Nate’s face, the first one that hasn’t been closely followed by sorrow. Cale counts this as a small victory, and hopes that this is just the first of many happy moments that they have together. There’s still a lot that he has to do to try and ease Nate’s pain, but at least he’s headed in the right direction.

“Do you want to stay for lunch?” Nate inquires. “I don’t have much, but food is the least I can offer after making you listen to me.”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Cale answers, which causes Nate to look slightly offended. “I promise, I really don’t mind listening. You needed someone to vent to, and I offered.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Nate says. “Lunch isn’t that big of a deal.”

Cale sighs a little. “Sure, lunch sounds good.”

Nate smiles triumphantly in return. Lunch turns out to just be some leftovers, but Cale doesn’t mind. It feels good to be spending more time with Nate, and figuring out what he likes. There’s still the awkwardness of people navigating each other for the first time, but Cale still enjoys it. By the time he leaves to go back to Matt’s, he feels a bit lighter.

“So, how was Nate’s?” Matt asks as Cale enters the house.

“It was good. Mostly just talked,” Cale answers. 

“About?”

“Just...had a heart-to-heart about Tyson,” Cale says, trying to keep it as vague as possible.

There’s a hint of sadness that crosses Matt’s face. “I’m glad he’s talking about it with someone. He’s barely mentioned it with the rest of us.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Well, I’ll let you go rest. Dinner is at the usual time.”

Cale nods and heads down to his room. As he flops down onto his bed, he thinks about the conversation he had with Nate. He’s already decided that he’s going to need a lot more than a mug, but he needs to decide on what’ll help the most. So Cale thinks back to what his parents would get as mourning gifts for other people in their community back home.

His mom always gets people plants from the local green witches, and tries to pick plants that help with the type of mourning a person is going through. Laura always made sure to pick the plants with care, keeping in mind how much someone would also be able to care for a plant.

His dad, Gary, on the other hand, always brought meals to the person in mourning for a few weeks. Gary would always stop by local restaurants or cafes run by food witches, and always made sure that the food tasted like home. It was never the most extravagant gift, but it was always the one that comforted the person and their magic the most in the long run.

It’ll be easier for him to find the green witches here in Denver since most good plant shops are run by one. Food witches are a little bit harder, since they don’t advertise their magic, not wanting to deal with anything negative. So, Cale makes sure to keep his ears open and ask around once he becomes a bit more of a consistent figure in Denver.

As Cale thinks about this more, he also thinks of things from his childhood that might help Nate now. There’s a small part of him that wants to give Nate a blanket infused with hearth witch magic, but blankets often lead to intense dreams. Cale isn’t sure if the dreams would help yet or not, so he decides against that thought.

But he remembers his mom getting books from a hearth witch that ran a local bookstore. All of the books were infused with magic that was meant to ease the mind. Cale thinks that might be good, but he’s not sure if Nate is even an avid reader. But even just having a book or a journal around might be helpful, so Cale makes sure to remember that.

Cale then realizes that he’s getting ahead of himself, and goes to distract himself by scrolling through his phone. He just needs to test the mug with Nate first, and see how that affects Nate, if at all. After that, Cale can readjust what he needs to do.

* * *

As preseason rolls around, things start to get more intense. Despite playing in the playoffs the previous season, Cale feels nervous. He feels like he has to prove himself, that what happened wasn’t just a fluke or good luck. This is his chance to prove that he belongs on the team, and he’s good enough to stay.

“You’ll do great, I promise,” Nate says in the locker room before the first game. “I know it’s scary, but you’ve worked your ass off.”

“I just...there’s so much I have to prove,” Cale mumbles. 

“Then go show off,” Nate says with a small smile.

The game goes well, and Cale feels like things will get easier the more he gets to play. Things were a bit awkward as everyone tried to find their footing. With how much things changed during the off-season, Cale guesses that the preseason is going to follow a very similar pattern. He just hopes that he’s going to do enough to get to stick around. Not that there’s anything wrong with the AHL, it’s a great league to play for, but Cale likes the Av’s and the friendships he’s started to build with the team.

After their third preseason game, Cale finds the energy to infuse a mug with his magic so he can give it to Nate. He’ll just give it under the guise of wanting to do something nice, but unsure of what else to get Nate. Honestly, it’s a pretty flimsy excuse, but Nate doesn’t seem like the type of person to question something like this. 

“Hey, uh, are you busy after practice?” Cale asks one morning in the locker room. “I just had some questions about...stuff.”

Nate gives him a weird look. “Uh, no, I can stick around after if you want to go through some stuff.”

“Oh, um, not that kind of thing? Just personal stuff, I guess,” Cale explains awkwardly. “And I guess I had a small apartment warming gift? It’s not much, but I feel kind of weird giving it to you here.”

Nate looks a bit bewildered. “Yeah, you can come over after. But you didn’t have to do that, Cale. I’m just changing where I’m living, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“It’s a nice thing to do, let me do it,” Cale insists. “I promise it’s nothing big or embarrassing.”

“Fine,” Nate sighs, but it looks like he’s trying to not smile, so Cale doesn’t take it too personally.

Practice passes quickly, mostly because Cale is excited to give the mug to Nate. Even though he’s not sure how Nate will react to the magic, he still hopes that it’ll ease some of the pain. Besides, there’s always other options that he can go with if this doesn’t seem to do anything. 

After practice, Cale follows Nate silently to his car. Things aren’t as awkward as last time thankfully, but there’s still some wistful energy that Cale’s magic is picking up on. And he guesses that this shouldn’t be a surprise, considering everything, but it still hurts his magic to know that Nate isn’t happy. His magic is mournful over the fact that it can’t go and comfort Nate like it would with any other person Cale got close to.

Once they get into Nate’s apartment, Cale pulls the mug out of his bag awkwardly. Honestly, it feels kind of underwhelming now that it’s all happening and Cale feels like he needs to explain himself more than it just being a housewarming gift. But he’s also still not ready to have that conversation yet, a small part of him unsure of how everyone would react.

“I know it’s not a lot, but I thought it would be nice. And it’s practical, I guess,” Cale explains awkwardly as he hands the mug over.

Nate takes it, and he tilts his head a little when he grabs a hold of it. Cale can sense that the magic is taking effect, even if it’s not much. His magic hums a little, happy that it was able to help, even if it was just a small gift.

“This is really nice, where did you get it?” Nate inquires.

“It’s a local shop back in Calgary. They always have really good stuff there,” Cale answers shrugging, not bothering to explain why it was nice.

“You’ll have to take me there if we have time.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

There’s an awkward silence for a few moments, both unsure of what to say next. Cale feels weird leaving now, but there’s not much else that he really has to say. Nate sets the mug in one of his shelves before turning back around to look at Cale.

“Was there something else that you wanted to talk about? You said you had questions before practice today,” Nate asks, heading over to the couch.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Cale says, sitting down next to him. “Just needed a reason to give you the mug. Felt kind of weird giving it to you in the locker room.”

Nate frowns. “You can be honest, you know. If there’s something you needed to tell me, you can ask. I mean, Matt might be better to ask about life stuff, but I guess it can be weird to ask the guy you’re living with about some things.”

“I promise it’s nothing,” Cale insists. “I mean...I guess I wanted to ask how you and Tyson were doing, but I don’t know if it’s my place to ask.”

“No, I get why you would want to know. Our first actual conversation was me sobbing over him,” Nate says with a bitter laugh. “We’re doing...okay, I guess. We haven’t had a lot of time together, and it’s been hard trying to figure out if it’s worth it.”

“I wish I could help more,” Cale whispers. “Just know that it isn’t a decision you have to make right away.”

Nate smiles a little. “I know, but I feel like I need to decide now, you know? I don’t want to waste our time if we think our relationship won’t survive the distance. And honestly just having someone to talk to helps a lot.”

“Makes sense,” Cale says. “And we’re teammates, it’s the least I could do.”

Nate snorts. “Did you do this for your teammates back in college?”

“Yeah, I did actually. I just like being there for people,” Cale explains.

“Huh,” Nate says. “Well, you want to have lunch here again?”

Cale smiles in return. “Yeah, I can do lunch.”

* * *

When Cale hears that he’s made the Avs and won’t be sent down, he’s feeling ecstatic. His magic is buzzing with excitement, and it’s hard for Cale to try and calm down. Sighing, Cale decides that it’s time to try and find a plant shop that’s hopefully owned by a green witch. It’s obvious that his magic needs to find another witch to bond with.

And as long as Cale proves himself as trustful, finding other witches shouldn’t be too difficult. Every witch knows how important building a community is, and if he explains that he’s trying to find others, one witch will usually let him in on other places in the city. At least that’s how Cale is hoping that it all works out.

“Can I borrow the car, Matt?” Cale asks on a rare off-day. “I need to go downtown to check out a couple of shops.”

“Is there something that you’re missing? You should have told me sooner,” Matt answers, concerned. 

“No, I just want to go look for some plants. I had some back home and I miss having them around,” Cale explains. “I should be back before dinner.”

“I can come if you want me to.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Matt sighs, but hands over the keys. Cale smiles brightly then heads off to downtown. There’s two shops that stand out to him as possibly being owned by a green witch. It’s hard to explain, but his magic had perked up as Cale was researching shops last night. This is a gamble on his part, but it’s easier than trying to go to every plant shop in Denver.

As Cale walks up to the first shop, his magic perks up. When he focuses a bit more, he can feel the magic radiating from the storefront, bringing a smile to his face. He’s hopeful that they have something easy for him to take care of, and if he can find something for Nate as well, it’ll be even better.

“Good afternoon, welcome,” a young woman greets. “Is there something that I can help you with?

Cale’s magic hums as it recognizes another witch. She looks a bit caught off-guard for a moment, and then smiles brightly when she figures out what’s going on.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting a fellow witch to come in. I’m Evie,” she says. “So, what’s your deal?”

Most other people would find the question a bit odd, but Cale knows that most witches are open, especially when greeting someone new into the community. Cale wonders why he didn’t try this sooner, excited to finally find other people who just get the whole magic situation.

“Just moved here recently, and I’m scouting out some places to build my community,” Cale explains, knowing that Evie would get the weight of that statement. “Finding a green witch made the most sense being a hearth witch and everything.”

“Oh, a hearth witch, you’re hard to come by. But one of the bookstores here is run by one of you, so I can give you his address. And have you found any good places run by food witches yet?” Evie inquiries.

“Um, not yet. I’ve been busy with work,” Cale answers, blushing a little. “You’re the first witch I’ve found.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll get you a whole list while you look around, okay? Can’t have you living here without fellow witches to support you.”

“Oh, thank you, that would actually be great.”

Evie smiles, and then heads over to the register and starts writing down a list. Cale starts wandering around the shop, looking at the selection. There aren’t a lot of options, but it makes sense since it’s a small shop. All the plants seem content and reach out happily to say hi to Cale’s magic. 

There’s a few spider and zz plants that Cale is drawn to almost immediately. These are both low care plants, which are perfect for himself and Nate. With how much they travel, and forgetful if he’s honest, they would be the perfect choice. And the plants seem extra cheerful, even with it going into winter. 

“Liking these ones?” Evie asks, as she hands over the list. “These are good places to start that every witch enjoys. I figure that it’s a good enough starting point for you to make your own community.”

“Oh, thank you,” Cale replies gratefully. “And yeah, I like how happy they are. I’m getting a couple for myself, but one is for a friend who’s going through a hard spot right now.”

“Jay would be perfect for your friend then. He’s super easy to take care of and always giving off super happy energy,” Evie explains, picking up one of the zz plants. “And are you looking for anything specific?”

“No, not really. Just looking for some plants to make Denver feel more like home. I might just go with some of the spider plants if that’s okay.”

“Most definitely. And you know where to find me if you want something else.”

Cale grabs a couple of plants, and then Evie rings him up. As he leaves the shop, his magic is thrumming with newfound energy. This just makes him realize that he’s spent far too long away from the witch community. He decides that he has no reason to procrastinate, especially now that he has the list Evie gave him.

Once he gets back to Matt’s house, he awkwardly carries the plants down to his room. Thankfully, Matt does nothing more than just roll his eyes and laugh a little. It’s probably a little odd to see a grown hockey player carrying plants around, which is a shame because plants are great to have around.

Cale isn’t really sure how to approach bringing a plant to Nate’s house except to just bring it over. There’s a small part of him that just wants to surprise Nate, but he also doesn’t want to interrupt anything either. Cale guesses that he can just text him asking if he’s doing anything later today. That should be a safe enough question.

 _Hey, you doing anything for dinner?_ Cale texts.

Nate responds only a couple of minutes later with **Nothing really.**

Cale feels like this is a bit cut off, but he’s also not sure if that’s just how Nate texts. He decides he’ll swing by Nate’s apartment to drop off the plant and order some food from the Mexican place that Matt loves once he’s arrived. Sighing, Cale grabs the plant and orders an Uber to not inconvenience Matt again.

“Where are you running off to?” Matt asks when he sees Cale.

“Oh, I’m going to head over to Nate’s. I got him a plant and figured it was best to just give it to him now,” Cale explains. “And I’m getting an Uber so I don’t have to borrow your car again.”

“You know that it’s no problem,” Matt says. “But also don’t you think that Nate is going to kill that plant pretty fast?”

“No, these plants are built to be forgotten about? It’s easier to overwater them than under water, and they don’t need all that much direct sunlight.”

“Didn’t take you for a plant guy.”

Cale shrugs. “My mom loves plants, so it kind of just rubbed off on me.”

“Good to know.”

Cale then gets the notification that his uber is there, so he says his goodbyes to Matt. The car ride is quiet, which leaves Cale to think about how to explain the plant. He decides to just say that his mom told him to get it for Nate as a housewarming gift. It would be believable enough, and Nate doesn’t seem like he would say no. At least Cale hopes not.

When Cale knocks on the door, Nate opens the door a few moments later looking absolutely devastated. Tears are streaming down his face and his face is all blotchy. His magic hums sadly, picking up on the pain Nate must be in. Cale is confused, wondering what could have happened and then wonders if this has anything to do with Tyson.

“Oh, uh, I can leave if you want,” Cale says awkwardly. 

“No, it’ll be good to have someone here,” Nate replies, voice thick with tears.

Cale walks in, and follows Nate to the couch. He sets the plant down on the coffee table, where he notices the mug sitting out, obviously used. His magic is purrs with contentment, happy that it’s being used. When Cale focuses back on Nate, he doesn’t quite know what to say.

“Tyson and I broke up,” Nate whispers. “We were talking about it, and he said that we were both just too stressed out about trying to make things right. Neither of us were happy. And I know that it seems like we didn’t give it time, but I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Nate starts crying again, and Cale brings him into a hug, also allowing a little bit of his magic to seep into the embrace. He isn’t sure how long they sit there with Nate sobbing into his shoulder, but by the time Nate pulls back, Cale feels a bit cramped from the position.

“Sorry,” Nate murmurs.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Cale says. “I can’t imagine how hard that was for the two of you to decide. Are you still going to be friends?”

“Yeah, of course, I can’t imagine my world without him. But I think I need a little bit of time to process it, especially since we play him next month.”

“That’s not going to be an easy game, is it?”

Nate laughs a little. “No, definitely not.”

“I’m sorry I can’t do more to make it better.”

“There’s nothing you could do that would help. Just having someone here is nice.”

Cale almost says something about his magic, but it feels inappropriate to bring it up now. If he had any other kind of magic, it might be a different story. With hearth magic though, something about it sits weird with Cale. So, he just doesn’t say anything and promises to bring it up later.

“Did you bring a plant?” Nate asks, confused.

“Oh, uh, yeah, my mom said it would be a good housewarming gift,” Cale answers. “And it’s super hard to kill these plants, like you can forget to water them for a month or two and they’ll be just fine.”

“Well, that’s good then because I would probably kill it otherwise.”

Cale laughs a little. “I made sure to get something easy.”

Another moment of silence passes, both unsure of what to say. Cale wants to ask Nate a little more about what he’s going through, but he also doesn’t want to push. This is a big step, and it’s probably going to take some time for Nate to really process it. To be honest, Cale wasn’t really sure if Nate was ever going to break up with Tyson, so he’s also a little bit worried that they rushed into it. But if it’s been an issue since before training camp began, then maybe not.

“Do you want me to order dinner?” Cale asks. “I kind of just came over and I know this good place that Matt always gets food from.”

“Yeah, that would be nice actually. I’d really rather not be alone right now.”

So, Cale ends up staying later than he should just hanging out with Nate. Even if things are a bit stilted with Nate getting caught up in his emotions, Cale is still glad that he’s getting to know his teammate more. It’s obvious that when Nate cares for someone, he truly puts his whole heart into it. And that just breaks Cale’s heart, knowing that it must have absolutely devastated Nate when Tyson got traded. 

The next few weeks, Cale makes sure to keep a close eye on Nate. Gabe and EJ seem to have the same thought process, and Nate is never left alone. As the game against Toronto gets closer, Nate gets more and more visibly upset. Cale decides that he’s going to need to do something else to help because the plant and mug aren’t going to cut it.

After practice, Cale looks over the list that Evie wrote for him, and looks for a coffee shop. There’s one cafe that’s run by a food witch, and Cale hopes that they have their own coffee beans that they sell. Nate makes his own coffee every morning, and if there’s anything that will ease his heart a little, it would be that. So, Cale borrows Matt’s car once again and heads off to the cafe.

As Cale enters the shop, his magic is thrumming with energy. He feels engulfed in the strong amounts of magic, leaving Cale a bit speechless. The last time he felt like this was back home with his community, and it brings a small smile to his face.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” a barista asks as Cale approaches the register.

“Um, yeah, I was wondering, do you sell your own coffee beans here?”

“We do! Is there something in particular that you’re looking for?”

“Is there something that would help with...calming one down while still making sure they have enough energy to function? Because that would be nice,” Cale explains, unsure if the barista is a witch or not.

They give Cale a small smile. “I get what you’re asking. Briana, our owner, just got some new stuff in that would be perfect. Helps with overthinking and getting lost in your emotions. Is that what you’re going for?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

The barista nods, then rings Cale up for a couple of bags. He figures that it’s better to get a little too much than not have enough on hand. Hopefully combined with the mug, this should help ease Nate’s pain a little. If it doesn’t work, he has a long list of places in Denver that would have something to help. But the coffee should help at least ease the worst of the heartache and pain for the time being.

Once Cale gets back into Matt’s car, he decides to head over to Nate’s. If Nate is busy, he can just drop off the bags and call it a day. But if Cale gets the chance to properly feel out how Nate is doing, that would be better. He doesn’t want to overwhelm Nate, but he also wants to make sure that he’s doing everything he can to help.

“You didn’t tell me that you would be coming by,” Nate says when he opens the door. “And what’s with the coffee?”

Cale’s magic senses that there’s something off about Nate, but he can’t exactly say what it is. There’s just a lot of confusion and he’s not sure what would be causing it. He wants to ask, but he also knows that Nate probably wouldn’t answer. Nate very much seems like the person to only say things when he’s ready.

“Oh, uh, I thought you would like some coffee? This is from a new place I started going to and...I guess I just thought of you?” Cale answers, snapping back into focus.

Nate blushes a little bit. “Um, thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Cale replies awkwardly before handing over the bags. 

“I would invite you in, but I’m kind of busy right now,” Nate says, as he takes the coffee. “So, uh, I’ll see you at practice tomorrow?”

“Sounds good,” Cale replies, before heading off.

There’s a small part of Cale that wants to go back and ask Nate what was going on. He’s not really sure what Nate could have been busy with, but Cale also knows that he’s not really in a position to ask. They’ve been getting a little bit closer recently, however Cale still feels like they’re still learning so much about each other.

Sighing, Cale decides he needs to make more of an effort to get closer to Nate. He’s not really sure why he’s feeling so drawn to Nate, but there’s something deep within his magic that keeps pushing him towards Nate. Cale’s parents always told him the importance of listening to his magic, so he figures that this is happening for a reason.

* * *

As the days approach to Toronto’s game at the Pepsi Center, Cale can feel the energy in the locker room shift. There’s an intensity that he hasn’t felt before and it’s throwing him off. It doesn’t help that nobody is talking about what’s coming. A small part of him wants to tell everyone that he’s a witch so that he can help them, but he also knows that it might not be taken well, not with emotions running so high. So Cale just settles in and watches from the sidelines trying to make sure his magic doesn’t go running wild.

The morning of the game, the locker room is buzzing with an intensity that Cale can only associate with the moment before you go down the big drop on a rollercoaster. He decides that letting a little bit of his magic slip out won’t be too much of a problem because the feeling will probably get drowned out. Thankfully, Cale’s magic listens to him and only takes the edge off of everyone.

When they go out to warm-up, Cale keeps a close eye on Nate. While Nate had been filled with anxiety the last couple of weeks, the worst of it had yet to make itself seen. Cale’s going to assume that the coffee helped at least a little bit, which is the main thing that he wanted. But he’ll still probably stop by a couple other shops to try and help a bit more.

As warm-ups continue, Nate and Tyson seem magnetically drawn to each other. Even if they aren’t touching each other, one is always pulled into the others orbit. Something about this breaks Cale’s heart. Even after everything, they still are drawn to the other. If Cale didn’t know that they weren’t witches, he would have assumed that their magic was bonded.

A magic bond is rare and is something that takes a lot of work from both witches involved. But once they’re made, it’s hard to completely break it. Even if the bonds are completely shattered, a witch’s magic will still hold onto whatever pieces were left behind. In the end, Cale decides that no matter what, Nate and Tyson were probably always going to be tied together.

The actual game feels like a shitshow. They lose, and the goal and assist that Tyson had feels like a bitter stab against the team. This is hockey, there’s no holding back when trying to win, but Cale can still sense the hurt. Everyone is silent in the locker room, not wanting to acknowledge what just happened. 

Cale wants to go ask Nate if he needs company, but he also has a feeling that Nate and Tyson have plans for after the game. As much as he and his magic want to help, nothing can replace actually seeing the person one has been missing. Nothing can replace that connection, not even magic. So, Cale decides to not say anything and let Nate be the one to approach him if he wants to talk.

A few days later on their next day off, Nate texts Cale asking if he wants to come hang out. He isn’t really sure if this is a ‘I just want to get to know you more’ or a ‘I’m heartbroken over Tyson and need to talk about it’ type of thing, so he tries to prepare for the latter option. It seems to be the only thing that they’ve ever talked about outside of practice.

“Hey, thanks for coming by,” Nate greets as he opens the door and lets Cale in.

“It’s no problem, I wasn’t doing anything anyways,” Cale replies. “Is there a reason you asked me to come over?”

“I mean, kind of? But probably not what you were thinking,” Nate says, flopping down on the couch. “I just kind of realized the last few times we’ve talked, I’ve just been kind of off. Which I mean makes sense considering everything, but I feel bad that I just dumped all of that on you without like...getting to know you.”

Cale shrugs from the opposite end of the couch. “It’s really not that big of a deal. You’re going through a lot right not, I don’t mind being there to support you.”

Nate snorts. “You know, you’re too fucking nice to be a hockey player. I would have gotten so much shit from any of the other guys if they knew.”

“Seriously, I don’t mind. You needed someone to talk to that would just listen and I’m here for that. I’m just happy that you trust me enough to let me see that side of you.”

“I still feel bad, though. And you’ve gotten me housewarming gifts, like actual good ones and not the dumb shit the others got me.”

“The ideas were from my parents, so I can’t really take the credit there.”

Nate smiles softly. “It’s still nice, though. And like everything you’ve gotten me has just made the apartment feel more like home, which is weird. Because they aren’t things that I would expect to help, but they have.”

“Sometimes it’s just small things that make all the difference,” Cale replies, shrugging. “I figured that settling into an apartment after living in a house would be hard, you know?”

“How the hell are you only twenty-one?” Nate asks, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don’t get how you sound so smart and you’re younger than me,” Nate explains, laughing a little.

“I’m just repeating what my parents told me.”

Nate rolls his eyes and mutters, “Still makes no sense to me.”

Cale laughs brightly at that and shakes his head. Things pass easily from there, both starting to find a stride with their conversation. Nate continues to tease him about his maturity for his age, despite Cale insisting that he’s just doing the bare minimum. They end up eating dinner together, and spending a good portion of the night together.

For all that Cale can tell, Nate seems to be dealing with the whole Tyson situation fairly well. It doesn’t come up the whole night, so he hopes that Nate isn’t just ignoring it. He hopes that he’s made it clear enough that he can be trusted with the hard stuff. 

As Cale leaves Nate’s apartment, his magic is feeling light and happy. It’s obviously happy that Nate seems to be doing well for the most part. Hopefully this means Nate is starting to heal and start to move on. Cale also takes this as his gifts to be helping at least a little bit in the process. While Nate still has to do most of the work on his own, a little bit of extra help never hurt.

Over the next few weeks, Nate and Cale hang out a lot more. Everything seems to be going well, but Cale can tell that there’s still a little something off about Nate. There’s some days where Nate feels out of focus, like he keeps getting dragged into his thoughts. This makes Cale wonder if it’s time for him to make a stop by the bookstore that’s owned by a fellow hearth witch.

Cale’s still not sure if Nate is much of a reader, but even just having a book around should help ease his thoughts a little bit. This’ll also give Cale another chance to make a visit to a fellow witch and make his community a little bit bigger. He’s stopped by a few food places and gone back to the cafe and plant shop a few times, but there’s nothing like finding a witch with similar magic.

The next afternoon they have off, Cale goes into the shop and immediately feels everything slow down a little bit. Whatever witch owns this shop has obviously developed their magic extremely well, and it makes Cale long for openly practicing his own magic again. It’s been hard trying to hide it all from Matt, even though he knows that Matt would be understanding.

“Ah, are you the new hearth witch that I’ve been hearing about?” an elderly man inquires. “I was wondering when you would come by.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, that would be me,” Cale answers.

He wants to be surprised, but word always spreads fast within established communities. It’s not a bad thing, but it still throws Cale off, never having been on the other side of the rumors before. Still, it’s comforting to know that some things just stay the same.

“It’s good to meet you, it’s been awhile since I’ve met another hearth witch. I’m Addison,” he says. “What would your specialty be, because I’m assuming it’s not what I can do, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“I make objects feel like home. Only small things, though, it’s been a long time since I’ve practiced on anything large,” Cale explains, a little bit ashamed.

“That sounds awfully nice, but I do wonder why you haven’t been practicing,” Addison says, looking at Cale with concern.

“So my roommate knows about me being a witch, but I feel kind of weird using my magic around him? Like he says that he’s fine with it, and I’m sure he is, I just feel weird about it.”

“It’s always hard practicing around someone who doesn’t fully understand what we do. But sometimes it’s best to trust what they’re saying. There’s no point in trying to suppress your magic, that only makes things worse,” Addison points out.

Cale sighs. “I know, it just feels weird, I guess. I’ve practiced outside of my home community before, but this feels more important.”

“Are you comfortable explaining that to him? Why it’s important for you to use your magic at home?” Addison inquires.

“I think I could, but I’m not really sure how to put it into words,” Cale answers. 

“If he’s a reader, then maybe we could give him a book. It feels a bit impersonal, but it’s an easier way to get the conversation started,” Addison says.

“I...that’s actually not a bad idea.”

Addison gives him a small smile. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ve learned a thing or two. Now, I’m assuming that you came in for something else?”

“Yeah, I came in for one of my friends. He’s been kind of off lately? He just went through a major breakup and he’s still dealing with it. I’ve gotten him plants and coffee, and a mug with my own magic infused in it, but he just...needs a little something extra,” Cale explains. 

“Is he much of a reader?”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll just get you a good coffee table book that has a little bit of extra magic infused in it,” Addison says.

Addison leads Cale over to a small section of the bookstore that has some travel photography books. He’s not sure if it’s something Nate would like, but he can always brush it off as trying to make Nate’s apartment a little less sparse. Despite having lived in a house before this, nobody would guess that with the lack of decorating around the apartment. Having a coffee table book has always seemed like someone who’s put together would have in their place, so Cale just adds that to his list of ways to explain it.

“Now, I don’t know if this is something that your friend would be interested in, but these can hold the most amount of magic in them. I’m assuming that the coffee table is in an area that he hangs out in quite a lot?” Addison inquires.

“Yeah, it is. I mean, at least I assume so, it’s always where we hang out.”

“Then this should be just fine. If he happens to look through the pictures at any point, that would be better, but this is the safest bet. And since you’re a fellow hearth witch, it should be easy enough to let some of your magic seep into it if it seems like there’s ever a need for it.”

“That would actually be great.”

Addison nods and grabs a hefty book that has some mountains on the front cover, then hands it over to Cale. As he flips through it, Cale feels his magic settle in a way that he hasn’t felt since he saw his parents. This is how he knows that this is the book that Nate is meant to have.

“This is perfect,” Cale says softly. “It’s just what he needs.”

Addison smirks. “I do know a thing or two. Now, what kind of things would your roommate like?”

“Oh, uh, I think he likes poetry? I’ve seen some laying around and they aren’t his wife’s,” Cale says.

Addison raises an eyebrow, likely caught off-guard by the mention of a wife. But he doesn’t comment on it, and leads Cale over to the poetry selection. They stand there for a few moments as Addison scans the shelves, obviously looking for something specific. Finally, Addison spots something, and smiles before handing it over to Cale.

“This one is written by a local witch and talks about being a witch. It’s not the most direct in its explanation, but it does talk a lot about what it feels like when we practice,” Addison explains. “Now, is that going to be it?”

“Yeah, thank you,” Cale replies, appreciatively. “This is all perfect.”

Addison leads him to the register, then rings him up and insists that Cale comes back soon to tell him how everything went. Cale says he’ll be back soon, then heads back to Matt’s. He knows that talking about his magic is important, and with how well Matt took the news of Cale being a witch, he hopes this goes well.

“Hey, Cale, where did you run off to today?” Matt asks as Cale takes off his shoes. “Were you going into town again?”

“Uh, stopped by a local bookstore,” Cale answers. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something, actually.”

A look of concern flashes across Matt’s face. “Is something wrong?”

“Um, not necessarily? Could we actually sit down for this?”

This obviously doesn’t do anything to ease Matt’s nerves, but he goes and sits down on the couch. They sit there for a few moments as Cale gathers himself and thinks of how he wants to go about this conversation. Cale sighs, before deciding to just say it.

“So, um you know how I told you that I was a witch earlier?” Cale says awkwardly.

“Yeah, I do. Is something wrong? Am _I_ doing something wrong?” Matt replies, worried. “I’m sorry if I’ve done something I shouldn’t have.”

“No, I promise it’s nothing that you’ve done. It’s just...how do you feel about me practicing my magic in the house? I know you have the kids and I just don’t want to overstep any boundaries,” Cale explains.

“Cale, you have every right to practice your magic here. This is your home, too, and I know you would never do anything to hurt _anyone_. I’m sorry that I made it seem like I thought that it would be dangerous,” Matt apologizes.

“No, I promise none of this was your fault. I guess I was just worried that I would be overstepping because I know some people feel weird about that.”

Mat sighs. “If you felt that way, then I’ve obviously been doing something wrong. I don’t want to hear you argue with me on that point because I never wanted you to feel like that.”

“Okay,” Cale whispers. “It just feels weird to have it all be out in the open, I guess. I’m just waiting for something to go wrong.”

“I’ll do everything I can to make sure that it doesn’t, okay? And if it does, tell me, because I want this to feel like home to you,” Matt says before hugging Cale tightly.

Cale melts into the hug and his magic thrums at the promise of being able to do what it’s meant to do. When Matt pulls back, he gives Cale a curious look, which Cale only can assume means that he felt a bit of the magic.

“Sorry about that,” Cale murmurs. “My magic just got a little bit excited.”

“You really need to work on not apologizing as much,” Matt says, squinting his eyes. “It wasn’t a bad feeling, I promise.”

“Um -”

“Don’t even say it,” Matt sighs. “Is there anything else you wanted to bring up?”

“Oh, yeah, I got you a book today. It’s from a local poet and she’s written about what it feels like to practice magic,” Cale replies, handing over the book.

Matt smiles a little. “I’m excited to give it a read.”

“It also has a bit of magic in it? I hope that’s not a problem, but it’s nothing major, just something to help you calm down a little.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, maybe I can read it before our next game,” Matt replies. 

“Oh, that’s good,” Cale says. “Well, I’m going to go to Nate’s. I said I’d swing by for dinner.”

“The two of you have been hanging out a lot,” Matt says, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“We’re just getting to know each other,” Cale replies with a frown. “There’s nothing going on, I promise.”

“I never said anything was going on,” Matt points out. “Nothing would be wrong if there was something going on, and just know you can tell me if anything happens.”

“Um, thanks,” Cale says awkwardly. “Well, I’m going to go.”

Even though he didn’t actually have plans with Nate, he figured that it would be good to give the book to Nate as soon as possible. If Matt could pick up on the magic that easily, then it’s obvious that it would help Nate immensely. Cale is hoping that Nate isn’t as perceptive, though, because he isn’t sure if he wants to have the “I’m a witch” conversation twice in one day.

When Cale gets in the Uber, he sends a quick text off to Nate saying that he’ll be there soon. He hopes that Nate isn’t busy like that one time Cale swung by back in September. Thankfully, Nate just texts him back with some exclamation marks and a couple of smiley faces, so Cale takes that as a good sign.

“Is that another housewarming gift?” Nate asks dubiously, eyeing the bag Cale is holding.

“Oh, yeah, just another suggestion from my parents. It’s just one of those coffee table books. Never got the point of them, but it seemed like a nice idea,” Cale explains, heading over to the couch. 

Nate plops down on the couch and takes the bag from Cale. As he sits down, Nate pulls out the book and gives it an odd look before smiling. This makes Cale a bit nervous, wondering if Nate has figured him out. Not that he wouldn’t talk about being a witch, it’s something Cale didn’t even want to consider yet. 

“This is really nice,” Nate whispers. “Thank you for not getting me an actual book because I would have never read it.”

Cale snorts. “I figured as much. This can at least look nice while sitting out.”

“That’s very true,” Nate replies with a small laugh. “So, what do you want to order for dinner tonight?”

“Oh, there’s this Indian place I’ve heard good things about,” Cale says. “Does that sound good?”

“Yeah, that’s good with me.”

The good things that Cale mentioned was just the fact that it was on Evie’s list of places to check out. Hopefully bringing in some extra magic won’t throw Nate off, but Cale hopes that there’s been some acclimation with the gifts he’s brought to the apartment. And if this goes over well, then Cale might consider just giving Nate the list of restaurants Evie had given him.

Nate never mentions anything about the food, besides it tasting good, so Cale takes that as a win. The rest of the night passes easily with them just putting on Netflix and watching some nature documentaries. Cale had never taken Nate for a documentary type of person, but he’s not complaining. In this moment, Cale feels the most at peace he has in a long time, and he wants to cling onto the feeling forever.

* * *

As the next couple of months pass, Cale and Nate become almost inseparable. The team jokes that they’re attached at the hip, but neither of them complain about it. Cale finds himself enjoying his time with Nate a lot more than he was expecting. As he thinks about it a little bit more, Cale feels like there’s something else that he isn’t quite ready to admit yet.

Cale knows that Nate is still working through his feelings with Tyson, and dealing with the breakup. But that still hasn’t stopped Cale from starting to develop feelings of his own towards Nate. The crush is barely there, not fully developed, but the fact that it’s there makes Cale worried. Nate is a good person, but considering that he’s barely out of a seemingly serious relationship, Cale doesn’t want to touch his feelings with a ten foot pole. 

That’s probably not healthy, but Cale decides that it’s okay, just this once to not admit his feelings to himself. Instead, he just decides to buy more things for Nate under the guise of needing to make the apartment feel more like a home. Surprisingly, nothing has been said about the slowly building intensity of the magic that has enveloped the space.

Cale was blindly hoping that things would stay like that, but his luck had to run out eventually. He and Nate are binge watching a Netflix docuseries when the topic comes up, when Cale is the most relaxed. If it had to come up, at least it’s not while anyone else is around.

“Cale, I have to ask you something serious,” Nate says, pausing the episode. “And I need you to answer honestly.”

Cale feels his heart drop out of his chest. His mouth dries up a little, knowing where this is probably going, and not liking being caught off-guard.

“What is it?” Cale whispers.

“Are you a witch?” Nate asks. “It’s just...I noticed that my apartment started feeling different ever since you started bringing things over. And then I started googling about why that might be and that was the most common answer.”

“I wasn’t planning on telling you like this. I just...didn’t know how you felt about magic, so I never said anything. And then I just got too deep into it and felt like it was too late to say anything. I didn’t want you to be angry with me,” Cale explains, tears filling his eyes.

Nate wraps him up into a tight hug, and let’s Cale cry into his shoulder. Honestly, Cale isn’t quite sure why he’s feeling so emotional about this. With Matt knowing, and finding people to build a community here in Denver, it’s not like Cale has had to keep his magic completely hidden. 

“Sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying,” Cale whispers roughly into Nate’s shoulder. 

Nate holds him even tighter. “That’s a big thing to keep secret. Does anyone else know?”

“Just Matt, but I’ve met some other witches here since that’s where I got all your housewarming gifts from.”

“I’m sorry I made it feel like you couldn’t tell me.”

Cale pulls back and gives Nate a confused look. “You never did anything to make it feel like I couldn’t say anything. It’s just that I never knew how to bring it up. Kind of a weird thing to start a conversation with, you know?”

“But we’ve been hanging out for a few months now, and you still haven’t said anything. I just feel bad that I couldn’t have made it better for you.”

“Look, I promise it wasn’t you. Telling people is a weird thing for me because I grew up around people who already knew. And when I went to university, I never told the guys there about what I could do either. It was never their fault because they were great, but I just never knew how to bring it up,” Cale explains. “But...you’re not mad?”

“Of course I’m not mad, I could never be mad at you. You kept it secret for a good reason. But now that I know, I hope you’re ready for me to ask so many questions.”

Cale lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, well, I’ll do my best to answer them.”

The rest of the evening passes smoothly, with Nate asking all kinds of questions. Nate was most curious about how magic seemed to be kind of a living thing that was attached to a witch. Cale wasn’t quite sure how to explain it, other than it’s kind of like having another person’s feelings in your mind. That seems to kind of freak Nate out, but it’s not like Cale can blame him. The thought of there being someone else in his head would freak him out too if he wasn’t so used to it.

Magic is a weird concept now that Cale is finding himself explaining it. But Nate appears to be taking it all in stride and doesn’t look at him any differently. By the time Cale is heading home for the night, he’s feeling good about how it all went, even if he did spend part of the night sobbing into Nate’s shoulder. Hopefully that would never be mentioned again.

After that, this only brings Cale and Nate closer together. This also doesn’t help the crush that Cale is most definitely developing on Nate. With how well the witch situation went, he can’t help but grow that much fonder of his friend. It’s a weird situation for Cale, but he takes it all in stride. If he can hide being a witch for months from Nate, then he can hide a small crush.

It’s now February and Cale finds himself hanging out with Nate a few times a week outside of the times the team is all together. He definitely considers them good friends, and Nate is probably his best friend on the team. Cale isn’t counting Matt because he’s turned more into a team dad figure than a friend.

“Are you doing anything fun for Valentine’s Day?” Nate asks as they’re sprawled out on the couch one night.

“No, you know that I’m not seeing anyone,” Cale answers. “Been too busy hanging out with you to meet anyone.”

Nate snorts. “Why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing? I’m a complete joy to be around.”

“I wasn’t implying anything,” Cale points out with a small smile. “Seriously though, I was probably just going to watch movies or something.”

“We should hang out then. I’m not doing anything either and having someone around will make me feel less pathetic.”

“I guess that could be arranged,” Cale sighs dramatically.

Nate laughs and throws a napkin at him, which he just catches and throws right back. It’s moments like this where Cale wants to say something about how he’s feeling, but he’s still unsure of where Nate is at. There’s moments where he feels like Nate might have feelings for him too, but then he’ll get a distant look on his face whenever Tyson is mentioned. In the end, he doesn’t say anything, not wanting to mess up their friendship.

When Valentine’s Day rolls around, Cale heads over to Nate’s with a bag full of junk food. Matt had given Cale a curious look on his face, but didn’t say anything. Cale didn’t want to say anything, mostly worried about accidentally spilling his heart out. That isn’t a conversation he’s ready to have yet with Matt, even if Matt would be sympathetic about it all.

As Nate opens the door, he eyes the bag of junk food suspiciously, but doesn’t say anything. Cale feels the need to explain himself, but he also figures that this counts as a holiday where they can break their meal plan. Surely the guys in relationships are going to be doing the same thing, so he figures they can do the same thing. Besides, Cale has to drown his feelings in something, and ice cream has yet to fail him.

“I wasn’t expecting you to bring so much over,” Nate comments as they sit on the couch. “Are we even going to be able to eat all of this?”

Cale snorts. “We’re hockey players, Nate, I think we’ll be fine. Besides, the ice cream is for me.”

“Oh really now? What if _I_ want some?”

Cale sighs, pretending to think for a moment. “I guess you can have some.”

Nate smiles smugly, like he won an argument they didn’t even have. Cale just laughs and opens up the ice cream while Nate finds them something to watch on Netflix. They sit there sharing junk food and having a good time. Cale can feel himself falling just a little bit more in love with Nate, and almost says something. But he doesn’t, not wanting to ruin a perfectly happy moment.

However, the moment _is_ broken by Nate’s phone ringing loudly. Cale frowns a little, wondering who would be calling Nate right now. If anyone needs to reach out to Nate, they usually text first before calling. When Nate picks up the phone, Cale notices that it’s Tyson calling and he feels his heart drop out of his chest.

“Uh, sorry, let me just take this really quick,” Nate says apologetically. “No need to pause the show, you can just fill me in after.”

Nate walks down the hallway a little bit before answering the phone. Cale feels tears well up in his eyes and feels like his heart is being crushed. Surely it could be nothing, but why else would Tyson be calling Nate on Valentines Day other than them getting back together. He feels hurt that Nate wouldn’t have told him this, especially when he was there for when they first broke up at the beginning of the season.

Cale gets up to start making his way out of the apartment, not wanting to be in the same space as Nate anymore. He realizes that he shouldn’t be feeling heartbroken over this, he knows how much Nate loved Tyson. It’s only inevitable that they would end up finding their way back together again. As Cale passes the hallway, he realizes he can hear Nate talking to Tyson and decides to listen for a moment, if only to confirm his thoughts.

“You are my dearest friend. My deepest love. You are the best part of me,” Nate whispers. “You do realize that right?”

And that’s what shatters Cale’s heart. Not being able to take it anymore, he leaves the apartment without saying a word. He orders an Uber, then decides to text Nate that something came up with Matt and the kids that he had to go help with. Cale very well knows that it’s not fair to Nate to do this, but he doesn’t think that he can face Nate again, not without saying exactly how he feels. And his friendship with Nate is too important to ruin.

Thankfully, Matt is still out with his wife and kids, so Cale doesn’t have to try and explain what’s going on. When he flops down on his bed, he decides to call his mom and tell her everything that’s going on. There’s no way she didn’t notice at least something was going on through their bond and she’ll definitely ask him about it anyways.

“Honey, is everything okay?” Laura asks, picking up on the second ring.

“I...I don’t know,” Cale whispers, voice thick with unshed tears. “You know how I’ve been hanging out with Nate more lately?”

“Yeah, of course. Did he say something to you about your magic? I know you said that he was okay with it, but people change their minds sometimes.”

Cale laughs bitterly. “No, he’s still perfectly fine with that. But, um, I think I liked him, mom. Like really, really liked him.”

“I don’t see what the issue is,” Laura replies, concerned. 

“He got back together with Tyson,” Cale whispers. “I overheard him on the phone tonight saying how much he loved him. And, uh, it definitely didn’t sound like a platonic ‘I love you’.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Laura says, worried. “I wish I could be there for you right now.”

Tears start streaming down Cale’s face as the gravity of the situation fully sets in. He can’t tell if he’s heartbroken or not, still feeling the shock rushing through his veins. Nothing could have prepared him for the weight of the pain he’s feeling. 

“I hate this,” Cale sobs. “I didn’t think it would hurt so much, mom. I feel like I lost something I never had.”

“You’re feeling grief, honey. I know that seems like a heavy word for what’s going on, but you lost something you thought you had a chance at. And I’m sure that your magic is suffering as well. Hearth witches never had it easy when it comes to matters of the heart,” Laura explains. “Grief is the price we must pay for loving one another.”

“I don’t want it,” Cale laments. 

“I know, and I understand. But you should also be careful to not cut him out of your life. Nate doesn’t know what he’s done, and to lose you would be hard for him.”

Cale sighs. “I’m not sure I can do that right now. I don’t want to mess things up by saying the wrong thing.”

He can feel the disapproval through the phone. Cale knows that his mom has a point, and it really wouldn’t be right to cut Nate out of his life. Nate had found happiness with Tyson again, and there’s no reason that should be held against him. But Cale doesn’t think he’s ready to face that happiness yet, slightly bitter over something he never got to experience. It’s unfair and the wrong thing to do, but for once, Cale wants to do something for himself.

“If you think you’ll need the space, then take it. But don’t ignore him, Cale,” Laura warns. “If you do, you might lose someone very important to you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Laura hums. “Well, I suppose that’s all I can ask for. Keep me updated, okay?”

“I will,” Cale replies. “I’ll call you soon.”

Once he hangs up, he tosses his phone to the other side of the bed. Cale feels exhausted, like he just got done with a bag skate. There’s a small part of him that wants to see if Nate texted him back, but then that would mean having a conversation about what just happened. And Cale isn’t ready for that quite yet.

Before he can get completely lost in his thoughts, there’s a light knock on his door. Cale figures that it must be Matt, so he shouts to come in. Matt makes his way down the stairs, takes one look at Cale, then brings Cale into a hug. Cale sobs into Matt’s shoulder, shedding more tears over something that was never his in the first place. He’s not sure how long they sit there, but soon enough, Cale is just left taking in shuddering breaths.

“What happened?” Matt asks softly as he pulls away. “I got a text from Nate asking if I was doing okay since I had to ask you to come back.”

“It’s so stupid,” Cale answers, voice rough. “I shouldn’t even be sad about the whole thing, but I am. Tyson and Nate...they got back together, and I know that I should be happy for them because they love each other so much. And I...I…”

Matt lets out a concerned noise. “You fell in love with Nate, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Cale whispers, smiling sadly. “I don’t even really know how it happened, but after he figured out that I was a witch, we just started hanging out more. And I knew that Nate still missed Tyson, but I thought maybe one day I would have a chance.”

“Did Nate tell you that they got back together?”

Cale shakes his head. “No, but I heard Nate tell him that he was, and I quote ‘my deepest love and dearest friend’. Who else would you say that to besides someone that you’re dating?”

“I wish I had a better answer for you, but I think they would say that to each other even if they weren’t dating. They’ve always been really close with each other ever since Nate joined the team,” Matt explains. 

“I don’t know,” Cale replies. “I mean...it’s Valentine’s Day, Matt.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help more,” Matt says before hugging Cale again.

Cale sinks into the hug and enjoys the closeness. He hates that he’s so heartbroken over this, but he also knows that his magic isn’t helping at all. His mom is right when she says that hearth witches get too invested in their personal relationships, and Cale supposes that it’s better to get his heart broken now instead of later.

“I wish it didn’t hurt like this,” Cale whispers into Matt’s shoulder. “I never meant to love him like this.”

“We never mean to love the people that we do, and it’s hard when it ends up like this. But you’re young, Cale, you still have so much time to find other people. Nate and Tyson have always had a complicated relationship and it’s probably for the best that you never got involved,” Matt says sympathetically. 

“I still hate it,” Cale murmurs before pulling back. “I don’t know if I can face him after this. I feel like such an asshole for just running out of his apartment.”

“I covered for you because I figured that you wouldn’t have done that without good reason,” Matt says. “You can give yourself a couple of days, but don’t ignore him forever, Cale. He’ll take that to heart and will probably think that you hate him.”

“I don’t hate him, but I can’t face him. And I know that he’s probably over the moon to be back with Tyson again, I just don’t think I can deal with that right now.”

Matt gives him a concerned look. “I just don’t want you to lose one of your best friends on the team.”

“I won’t. And if we stop hanging out as much, I promise that I won’t let it affect the team,” Cale says. “Besides, there’s other people I can hang out with.”

“I never said that it would. I also know that you won’t let it change anything, but I do worry about Nate. He’ll be heartbroken without you as a friend, especially if you don’t let him know what’s going on. You don’t have to explain everything, but don’t let it fester, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Cale replies.

“Okay. And if you need to talk about it, you know I’m always here,” Matt says before getting up. “Get some rest, okay? Practice is optional tomorrow, so don’t feel bad if you just stay home. I’ll make sure to field any questions.”

“Thank you,” Cale whispers before Matt heads up the stairs.

He knows what Matt said is true, but Cale feels weird bringing it up to Nate. And it’s not like he should feel this way, especially since he saw how heartbroken over the breakup Nate was. Cale also doesn’t have a right to feel like he lost anything, because he really didn’t. The loss of hope, though, still stings and Cale decides to let himself mope a little bit before trying to fix things. A few days apart from Nate will do him good and allow him the space to figure out his feelings so things don’t get messy.

However, a few days turns into a couple of weeks. Cale doesn’t mean for it to turn into that long, but any time that he tries to talk to Nate, he just chickens out. To hear that Nate and Tyson are back together feels so final, and while that would be good for closure, it still scares Cale. 

Nate is obviously hurt by this, not sure why he’s being shut out. Matt keeps giving Cale looks, but never says anything, not wanting to push too hard. They still play amazingly well together, which doesn’t help Cale continually pushing off the conversation. It only turns into an issue when Gabe and EJ decide to get involved.

They pull Cale aside after practice one day once the locker room has cleared out. Cale feels himself tense up, knowing exactly where this conversation is going to go. He can’t believe that he didn’t think about the other people Nate is close to. Sighing, he steels himself up for what’s about to happen.

“Looks like you know where this is going,” Gabe says, raising an eyebrow.

Cale blushes. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So, why’ve you been avoiding Nate?” EJ inquires, crossing his arms.

“Um...well, it’s definitely a me problem,” Cale answers with a nervous laugh. “I just...kind of fell in love with Nate a little bit? And I’m trying to fix that because he’s back together with Tyson.”

Gabe frowns. “He is? Nate never told us that. He’s mentioned Tyson a few times, but nothing like that.”

“Yeah, because he’s always talking about Cale,” EJ snorts. “But seriously, how did you figure that out before we did?”

“I just overheard him when we were hanging out,” Cale replies, caught off-guard by EJ’s statement. “And then I kind of had a breakdown over it? Now I’m just trying to deal with my emotions and not make things weird with Nate.”

“You never struck me as the type of person to have an emotional breakdown,” EJ says. “Especially over something like having a crush on Nate.”

“Um, well...it might be because I’m a hearth witch,” Cale replies quickly. 

“A what?” Gabe asks, clearly confused. “It sounded like you said a witch, but I think I heard you wrong. You would have told us that already, right?”

Cale flushes. “No, you heard me right. I’m a hearth witch. So my magic gets super invested in my relationships and my emotions. And that’s why I have breakdowns over my feelings.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Gabe inquires, concerned. “But also don’t think this is making me forget why we wanted to talk to you.”

“I mean, it’s kind of a weird thing to just bring up. Like, I didn’t know how you guys felt about witches and by the time I figured it out, it felt too late to say anything,” Cale explains. “Besides, Matt and Nate already know. I would have told you eventually.”

“Okay, Matt makes sense since you live with him, but you told Nate before your captain?” Gabe exclaims.

“Yeah, and the fact that Nate didn’t say anything either is kind of amazing,” EJ says.

“Nate kind of figured me out, so I told him. I was bringing him gifts to deal with the breakup, and then he confronted me about it,” Cale replies. “And he knew not to say anything because he knew I would tell everyone in my own time.”

“Huh, guess he can keep a secret when he wants to,” EJ remarked. 

“Okay, but back to the point. You really need to talk to Nate. He’s being a pain now that the two of you aren’t hanging out anymore, which is ridiculous considering that you haven’t even been friends for a year,” Gabe says. 

“I’ll talk to him soon,” Cale promises. 

“If you don’t, this conversation will be extremely different,” EJ threatens. “I like you, but it sucks seeing Nate suffer over this.”

“I swear I’ll talk to him. It’s just...not one I’m quite ready to have, but I’ll do it,” Cale says.

Gabe gives him a serious look. “I promise whatever you’re going through, Nate won’t hold it against you. He’s dumb, but he loves his friends dearly. If you just tell him what’s going on, he’ll understand.”

“I hope so,” Cale murmurs. 

“Well, if you need any advice, you can come to us. We want to see this fixed just as much as you do,” Gabe says, before heading out, EJ trailing him.

Cale sighs, and knows that he’s going to actually have to follow through with his promise. If Gabe and EJ got involved with the situation, he knows that it’s serious, and deciding that there’s no better time than the present, Cale decides to text Nate.

 _Hey, I was wondering if we could talk sometime soon?_ Cale texts.

He can feel the nerves thrumming through his body, and he tosses his phone into his bag. When he leaves, Matt is waiting out in the parking lot and gives him a suspicious look. Matt is obviously going to want to know what happened and is most definitely going to hold Cale to his promise. Even though Matt knows the true extent of why he stopped talking to Nate, it still doesn’t excuse what Cale did.

“So, that seemed like a fun conversation,” Matt remarks as Cale gets settled in the car.

“Yeah, it was,” Cale replies. “Gabe and EJ made me promise to talk to Nate about what happened.”

“Well, that’s good. Are you going to be honest about why?”

“I’m not sure,” Cale whispers. “I want to tell Nate because he deserves to know, but I don’t want to make things weird.”

“Things are going to be worse than weird if you don’t tell him,” Matt points out. “And he wouldn’t hold that against you. You’re good friends and if he wants to stop talking to you because of it, then at least then you’ve dealt with the problem.”

“I know you’re right. I’m just scared.”

“It is scary, but I promise once it’s over with, you’ll be glad that you’ve dealt with it,” Matt says comfortingly. 

The rest of the ride back to the house is quiet, Cale thinking through it all again. He doesn’t look at his phone, scared of what Nate might have to say. Losing someone like Nate has the chance to completely ruin him and facing that fact is terrifying. Even if his magic hadn’t gotten attached to Nate, Cale still cares for him deeply.

After he grabs some food, he goes to his room and stares at this phone. Finally, he decides that it’s like ripping off a bandaid. The sooner he gets it over with, the sooner things can go back to normal. Or maybe not normal, but the broken rift can at least be taped back together.

 **Yeah, I would love to talk soon. I think there’s a lot we need to say to each other** , is what Nate’s reply says.

This makes Cale’s heart drop out, wondering if Nate had figured him out already. But that’s a wild guess, one that he hopes isn’t true.

_Agreed. When are you free?_

**Tomorrow’s skate is optional. Want to meet up instead at my place?**

If Nate was suggesting skipping out on skate, then it must be serious, which only intensifies Cale’s anxiety. But like he was saying earlier, the sooner he gets it over with, the better.

_Yeah, sounds good. I can be there around 10am?_

**Works for me.**

The rest of the day seems to pass by in an anxiety induced blur. Cale is unsure if he’s even going to talk about his feelings, but it feels unfair to not say anything either. Nate deserves honesty, though, and if it means confessing his feelings, then Cale will do it. If he loses a friendship over it, then he’ll work it out.

Before Cale heads out in the morning, Matt gives him a tight hug and wishes him good luck. The ride over passes by quickly, and as he stands outside Nate’s door, Cale tries to calm down a little bit. When he knocks on the door, Nate opens it quickly, like he was waiting by the door for this moment.

“Um, hi,” Cale says awkwardly.

“Come on in,” Nate replies, letting him in.

They go to the couch and sit facing each other on opposite ends. Neither seems to want to start the conversation, unsure of what exactly to say. So, Cale takes a deep breath and asks what’s been on his mind the last few weeks.

“When were you going to tell me that you and Tyson got back together?” Cale inquires. “You could have told me.”

Nate gives him a confused look. “Tyson and I aren’t back together. It hasn’t been a possibility for a long time.”

“What do you mean? I heard you telling him how much you loved him when he called on Valentine’s Day,” Cale points out. “How else was I supposed to take that.”

“I was desperate to fix something that wasn’t broken. I’ve known that I haven’t loved Tyson, not romantically anyways, for a few months now. But...I couldn’t help but to say it, just in the off-chance that he still loved me,” Nate explains. “Turns out he started dating Zach Hyman on the Leafs. That’s what he was calling to tell me about.”

Nate lets out a bitter laugh, and Cale sees the tears welling up in his eyes. God, Cale can’t imagine how much that must have hurt Nate and he wasn’t there to support his friend because he couldn’t deal with his own feelings. He brings Nate into a tight hug, letting Nate sob into his shoulder. He’s not sure how long they sit there, but when Nate pulls away, he looks a little bit less on edge than before.

“It hurt not having you there, but it was worse because I don’t even know what I did. One second everything was fine, and then you completely avoided me,” Nate whispers. 

“It was wrong of me to just leave like that. I let my emotions get in the way, even though I knew I should be there for you,” Cale explains. “It’s not a great reason, but I just panicked and dug myself into a deeper hole.”

“Your feelings for me?” Nate asks, confused. 

Cale blushes. “Um, well, I guess I started to look at you as more than a friend. And when I heard you tell Tyson that you loved him, I couldn’t handle the heartbreak. So, I just decided to ignore it.”

Nate lets out a confused noise. “You like me back? Why did you never say anything?”

“Wait, you like _me_?” Cale asks in disbelief. “I didn’t say anything because I thought you were still getting over Tyson.”

“I - oh, well, I guess that makes sense,” Nate answers, sagging a little. “There’s always going to be some part of me that loves him. It’s just...he’s the first person who really cared for me and moving on from that is hard.”

“I don’t know what you’re going through, not specifically, but as a hearth witch, our community is especially important to us. Because our magic is focused on the home, and people we build relationships often are home in a more metaphorical sense, it can be hard for us to let go of those who move on,” Cale explains. “It hurts, but being honest with yourself is important. We can’t go forward if we’re still refusing to acknowledge the things that are hurting us.”

“How do you deal with it? Doesn’t it hurt?” Nate whispers. “Because I want him to be happy, and being with Zach is what is going to bring him joy, then I don’t want to ruin that. But I feel like I’ve been replaced.”

“Tyson will never replace you, you have to know that,” Cale says sympathetically. “Just because you’re redefining where you’re at with each other doesn’t mean that Tyson is moving on from you. If you ask him, Tyson will tell you that, I promise.”

Nate lets out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry you keep seeing me like this.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I just feel like I’ve given up and I don’t know why,” Nate confesses.

“It can feel like that when you’ve imagined a whole future that isn’t possible anymore. Like my magic can have a hard time letting go because there’s always the small piece of hope that everything will work out if you give it one more chance,” Cale says.

Nate lets out a bitter laugh. “I guess that makes sense.”

They sit there in silence for a few moments, as they both process the conversation. Cale feels like there’s so much to talk about, but he feels most caught off-guard by the fact that Nate likes him back. That fact was kind of glossed over, but Cale got swept up in trying to deal with all of the feelings surrounding Tyson.

“Um, so, about you liking me back…” Cale says awkwardly. “It’s not because you’re just trying to get over Tyson, right?”

Nate blushes before looking defensive. “No, definitely not. It happened slowly, and only got worse after I found out that you’re a witch. Just being around you has always felt like coming home. And...that’s not the magic, right?”

“Oh, no, it shouldn’t be. My magic is more about making objects feel like home, not people. Like the things I got you help with different emotional aspects, but they don’t change anything. They just deal with the worst of it and tone it down a little,” Cale explains.

“Huh, that’s good to know,” Nate replies. “I want to see where these feelings take us, but it might take me awhile for me to work through everything that I’m feeling.”

“You don’t have to rush this, take all the time you need. I’ll always be there for you.”

Nate smiles sadly. “I don’t want to keep pushing it off because otherwise I’ll always be hung up on Tyson. And I can’t lose you too.”

“You won’t lose me,” Cale says softly.

Nate lets out a hurt noise before scooting over and kissing Cale. He freezes for a moment, unable to process what’s going on. But the second he feels Nate pulling back, Cale leans forward and kisses Nate deeply. This is moving too fast, but he can’t stop himself, already getting lost in the warmth and comfort of being this close to Nate.

Eventually, Cale pulls back, and wraps his arms around Nate’s neck. His magic is thrumming with happiness, finally getting the connection it’s been craving for months. Nate lets out a happy laugh and rests his forehead against Cale’s. 

“So much for not rushing it,” Nate whispers. “There’s still a lot we’re going to have to talk about, but I want this, Cale.”

“You have me, no matter what,” Cale says softly. 

The next month feels like a rollercoaster. They’re fighting to get into the playoffs, which is taking up more energy than Cale wants to admit. Then with Nate, they’ve been working through their relationship and trying to keep it a bit of a secret. It’s safer for the team to not know what’s going on when they haven’t even officially defined who they are to each other yet. Cale knows that what they have doesn’t need a label, but he would like to call Nate his boyfriend without feeling weird about it.

They’re hanging out in Nate’s apartment one night when it comes up in conversation. Communication has been important for their relationship even making it this far, so Cale figures it wouldn’t hurt to at least bring it up. If Nate isn’t ready for an official relationship, then he won’t let it ruin things, not when things have been going so well.

“Hey, Nate, I was wondering if I could ask you something?” Cale asks after they’ve finished dinner, and cuddled up on the couch together.

“Yeah, what is it?” Nate replies, confused.

“Um, I know we said that we’d take our time with this whole relationship thing, but I was wondering if you wanted to be official. It doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to be though,” Cale whispers.

Nate snorts. “I was going to do something romantic and ask you out that way, but I guess this works too.”

Cale turns around to face Nate. “Is that a yes?”

“Of course that’s a yes,” Nate replies before giving Cale a small kiss. “I wanted to make it nice because you’ve been waiting for so long.”

“Nate, you know that I didn’t mind the wait. We had a lot to talk about and work through, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

“I love you so much,” Nate whispers, before freezing. “Um, well, so much for not moving too fast.”

“I love you too, you idiot,” Cale says, laughing a little.

Nate smirks before kissing him. Cale gets lost in the kiss, which seems to be the pattern whenever they start making out. His magic hums happily, as it always does when he’s with Nate. After a few minutes, Nate starts kissing Cale down his neck, likely leaving marks before moving on. Cale wants to suggest maybe stopping unless they want the whole team to find out, but he can’t find it in himself to say anything. Eventually, Nate pulls back and looks proud.

“You know, the whole team is going to figure out that we’re together now,” Cale points out.

“Only if you say it was me who left them,” Nate replies. “Could be anyone to be honest.”

“Oh, so you want me to say it was a random hookup instead? Who would believe that?” Cale says. “Besides, Matt knew I was coming over here anyways. He’ll figure it out in a heartbeat.”

“You could have been lying though. But I don’t think I’m a fan of having everyone else think it was someone else,” Nate replies, a hint of distaste in his voice.

Cale smiles softly. “That’s what I thought. Are you ready for this? This is a big step and I don’t want to make you do something you’re uncomfortable with.”

“I know it’s fast and we should keep it quiet, but you saw how bad I was with Tyson and we weren’t ever official,” Nate says with a soft sigh. “I want to be honest with them this time. Just be ready to be fined like, all the time.”

“It’ll be worth it,” Cale murmurs, before kissing Nate again. “You’re the best thing that has, and ever will, happen to me.”

“Cale, what the fuck, you can’t just say that to me,” Nate exclaims. “How am I supposed to come up with something as romantic as that?”

“You don’t have to say anything romantic, just kiss me,” Cale snorts.

Nate laughs, and drags Cale in for a deep kiss. He feels like he could get used to this, and he knows that this is moving fast, but Cale can’t come to regret any of this in the slightest. There’s still more that they have to openly communicate about, but that’s something that will never change. Whatever their future holds, he knows that it’ll all be worth it.

**SEVERAL MONTHS LATER**

For what feels like the hundredth time today, Cale is rearranging the pillows on the couch. He knows that in the grand scheme of things, pillow placement doesn’t really matter, but today is an important day. Tyson and Zach are coming to visit, and he’s feeling the pressure of having everything be picture perfect. His magic has been on edge all morning as well, trying to infuse as much of itself as possible throughout the whole house.

“Cale, everything is good to go, I promise,” Nate says, trying to be calm. “I know you want to impress him, but I swear it looks good.”

Cale sighs. “Look, I just want to make sure it looks good. You haven’t lived in this house since last summer, and I only just got your apartment looking decent. And that took months for a smaller space.”

“Tyson saw this place in much worse condition, he won’t mind,” Nate points out.

“I am a _hearth_ _witch_ , Nathan, I’m supposed to have a house that looks good and feels like home. It’s literally my whole thing! Besides, this is different. We have Tyson _and_ Zach coming to visit, and I refuse to leave a bad first impression,” Cale replies.

Not knowing what else to do, Nate wraps him up in a hug. Cale sighs, knowing that he’s getting stressed out over nothing. At the end of the season, Nate had decided to move back into the house he’d left in a rush after Tyson had been traded. Even though Cale wouldn’t be moving in with Nate quite yet, he knew he would be spending enough time there to at least put his own touch on the decorating. 

Besides, being a hearth witch, these things came kind of naturally to Cale. And it’s not like he wanted to trust Nate with any interior designs anyways. So far, Nate hasn’t had any concerns, so this is probably a sign that Cale is too stressed out over nothing. Tyson and Zach are hockey players, so it’s not like he has to do much to impress them.

“You’re right,” Cale sighs. “I just want everything to be perfect.”

“It will be perfect, I promise. Neither of them will care what side the decorative pillows are on,” Nate says. “You’ve already made it look way better than what Tyson remembers.”

A loud knock on the door snaps them out of the moment. Cale can feel the panic rising in his chest again, but Nate just gives him a look before going to open the door. When Nate opens it and greets Tyson and Zach, Cale can feel something. He can feel _magic_ radiating from one of them, and there’s no way it would be Tyson, he would have noticed that before. Which means it must be Zach.

“It’s good to see you again,” Nate says, hugging Tyson.

Cale squints over at Zach. “I didn’t know you were a witch.”

Zach visibly pales at that, and Tyson pulls back from the hug, immediately giving Cale a suspicious look. Nate looks at everyone, visibly confused, unsure of what to say or do. In all honesty, Cale isn’t sure how this never came up in conversation before.

“I’m guessing you’re a witch too,” Zach says weakly, before his eyes widen. “Oh, you’re definitely a witch. This place is filled with magic.”

“Yeah, I’m a hearth witch, so kind of comes with the territory,” Cale replies, awkwardly. “Want to come in?”

Zach and Tyson wander in, with the former looking around curiously. Cale is still caught up in the fact that somehow all of this went under the radar. Granted, it’s not like Nate would have said anything without Cale’s permission, and he’s guessing it’s the same for Tyson and Nate. But then he’s curious as to how he missed all of this, especially considering it’s not hard to notice another witch’s magic.

“You’ve done really well here, especially considering you’ve only been here a couple of weeks,” Zach comments, voice filled with wonder. “Like, I can feel your mark in here.”

Cale gives Zach a curious look. “Are you a hearth witch too?”

“Yeah, actually,” Zach answers with a small smile. “I’m more of the bookish type, which is why I decided to write kid’s books.”

“That...makes so much sense now that I think about it,” Cale replies. “I just don’t know how I missed you being a witch.”

“From what I gather, you were more concerned about these two idiots over here,” Zach says, jerking his head over to Nate and Tyson.

“Excuse you, I’m not an idiot!” Tyson exclaims. 

Nate snorts. “I hate to break it to you, but compared to these two, I think we are idiots, Tyson.”

“You’re right, but I don’t like it,” Tyson huffs. “But why didn’t you say anything about Cale being a witch? I thought we told each other everything!”

“Okay, but you never said anything about Zach, so I think we’re on even footing here,” Nate points out. “Besides, it was never my thing to talk about. We were probably going to say something while you were visiting.”

“I hate it when you’re right,” Tyson groans. 

Nate just laughs, with Cale and Zach trying to hold back their smiles. Tyson just squints his eyes before joining in. The rest of the afternoon passes easily, although the topic of magic doesn’t come up again. Cale isn’t sure if it’s worth mentioning at all, but he also wants to talk to another witch who’s in a similar situation as him. Even with the strong community that he’s built up here in Denver, Cale has yet to meet another witch in the NHL yet, much less one who’s also a hearth witch. A few days into the visit is when Cale gets his chance to talk with Zach. They’re both up early, and enjoying a cup of coffee out in the backyard.

“It seems like you’ve got a pretty good community here,” Zach says after they’ve settled into their seats. “I’m a bit surprised at how many witches you know already.”

Cale shrugs. “Word travels fast, and it’s hard not making friends, you know? Besides, Denver is big, but like...not that big. Nothing like Toronto, anyways.”

“That’s true. And things are more cutthroat up there anyways. It’s a weird atmosphere because generally everyone is fine with magic, but the media…” Zach says, trailing off. “I mean, I’m lucky that I grew up there. My home community is already there, and I never had to leave it. But if I was anyone else, it would be hard.”

“I can imagine. I’m honestly surprised nothing has been leaked, but I guess hearth magic is pretty easy to hide,” Cale remarks.

“Yeah, I guess I’m lucky in that sense. And I mean, it’s nice being a hearth witch up there because it helps with the trade and media. Most of the time anyways,” Zach replies. “There’s only so much magic can try and fix.”

Cale smiles sadly. “I know what you mean. I did my best to help Nate when Tyson was traded, but I could only do small things. Sucked having to watch him go through it.”

“I tried to do the same thing for Tyson, actually. It’s why we started talking in the first place. I knew that the trade was going to be hard for him, and that was before I knew about him and Nate. Once I figured that out, though, I kind of went overboard,” Zach replies, shrugging. 

“I understand what you mean. I almost did the same thing too,” Cale snorts. “Watching from the sidelines was the worst, especially trying to deal with the whole team on top of Nate. But I’m glad that Tyson had you, though.”

Zach smiles sadly. “For the longest time, I felt horrible that I couldn’t do more for him. I did everything I could for him, though.”

“It always feels like there’s more to do, but I’ve found that it’s the small things that help the most, at least with Nate.”

“Yeah, Tyson didn’t even know what I was doing at first, which I wanted. He started picking up on the fact that something was off when I kept accidentally leaving notes around his apartment, though.”

Cale snorts. “Nate was the same way, except he managed to figure me out because he used Google.”

“Well, at least we know which one is the smarter one,” Zach says. 

“I think you’re giving him too much credit,” Cale replies, laughing a little.

Nate and Tyson choose this moment to come outside, and they both give their boyfriends a confused look as they sit down.

“Is there something we’re missing?” Nate asks, confused.

“Just wondering if thinking to use Google makes you smart or not,” Cale answers vaguely. 

Tyson squints his eyes at Cale. “I feel like there’s more to the story.”

Zach laughs, and gives Tyson a quick kiss to distract him. Nate let’s out a humph, which just makes Cale roll his eyes. In times like this, Cale knows that Tyson and Nate are still trying to find their footing around each other, having to redefine where they’re at yet again. There’s moments where they’ll still reach for one another, and he can’t really fault them for that.

Besides, Cale’s gotten to meet Zach, and finding another witch in the league has been awfully nice. They’re both sure that there’s more out there, but for the time being, just knowing that they have each other’s back is good enough. Cale’s life has changed a lot since he joined the NHL and he doesn’t regret it for a single second, not with the people he’s surrounded himself with.

**Author's Note:**

> If y'all enjoyed this story, I would love to know! I'm considering making this into a series because there's so much left to explore (in my humble opinion), and would love to share it with everyone!


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